Fruit-drier



JLHLBURKSL Fruit-Drier. I No. 227,482. Patented May 11, 1880.

r v o o 1|| l o INEIENTOR %/MMJ BY S ATTORNEYS.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT EErc FRUIT-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 227,482, dated May 11, 1880.

Application filed February 6, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEssE H. BURKS, of San Luis Obispo, in the county of San Luis Obispo and State of. California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Frnit-Driers, of which the following is a specification.

My improvements relate to apparatus for drying fruit and vegetables by heated air, and have for their object to perform the drying rapidly, uniformly, and conveniently.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of the apparatus or building on line 00 00, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical section. Fig. 3 is a partial side view. Fig. 4 is a detail view in sectional elevation, showing the combustionchamber in connection with the topplate and grate-bars of furnace.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The building is divided into three portions, of which the lower portion, A, is the furnace, built of brick in rectangular form. B is the air-heating chamber above the furnace, and O is the drying-chamber, preferably formed with a pitch-roof having ventilating-pipes at the top, which are fitted with wind-wheels to aid the draft.

The furnace A is provided with a door at the front, and with a grate formed of bars I), which are connected in sections of two or more, of-a size and shape for being inserted through the door-opening. The top of the furnace A is covered by a plate, 0, that is fitted at its under side with flanges d e, from which the grate is suspended. One flange, d, is inclined or shouldered to support the cross-bar of the grate-bars, while the other flange, e, is straight and supports the grate-bars by means of pins f, that pass through perforations in flange e and the grate-bars. By removing the pins f the grate-bar sections can be removed through the door or put in position, as required, thus giving facility for renewing the grate without removing the door or brick-work.

At the back of the grate is a conical combustion-chamber, g, terminating in a flue, h, which extends through the plate 0 and around the air-heating chamber B to the chimney t. The flue h is formed with upper flange, it, that extends outward horizontally and rests on the brick walls, and with bottom lower flanges,

711 ,1112; extend to the center over the plate 0 of the heater, leaving a narrow opening from front to back, so that the air entering through the openings 70 in the side walls is caused to pass beneath the flue to the center and hottest portion of plate 0 before rising into the chamber B. The openings k, for admission of air, are fitted with register-slides 70, so that the flow of air can be regulated. The front and back sections of the flue h are accessible through openings in the front and rear wall of the furnace, and are fitted with doors Z, which give facility for cleaning the fines.

- The air-heating chamber B is covered by a plate, m, of non conducting material, which prevents the direct radiation of heat to thedrying-chamber above and the consequent scorching of the fruit, and also compels the heated air to pass over the flue h before entering the drying-chamber by the openings at the sides of plate m. The plate may be of any suitable non-conducting materiah'or covered with suchmaterial. I prefer that the plate at be of metal covered with a layer of asbestns felt, thus utilizing the under surface for heating the air;

but I do not limit myself in this particular.

In the drying-chamber G, a short distance above the plate, is fitted a perforated plate, a, which acts to distribute the heated air and cause it to rise uniformly into all parts of the drying-chamber. This plate may be of metal or asbestus felt laid over a wire screen, as a further protection against scorching the fruit.

The drying -chamber 0 is provided with openings at the front to allow for insertion and removal of the trays on which the material to be dried is spread, and these openings are fitted with sliding doors 0. In the lower part of the chamber 0 is fitted a rocking shaft, 9,.fit- 9o ted with a lever, q, at one end, and upon the shaft 10 within the chamber are fixed crankarms '1', which are connected by links a with the cross-bars s, that are fitted to move verticallyin the slides s, which are attached on the 9 5 ends of chamber 0.

The trays t are provided with hangers a, carrying rollers a, by which the trays are supported one above the other, the lower tray resting by its rollers on the bars 8. From the le- Ioo ver q a cord, 42, passes around friction-pulleys o to the lower door 0, with which the cord is connected. The upper door 0 is fitted with a spring-catch, to, which engages with a notched bar, w, on the lower door 0 when the latter is raised to open it.

The lever q is turned to lower the cross-bars s to a position for receiving a tray through the lower door, and this movement, actin by cord '0, raises the lower door. The tray is then run in upon the bars 8, and the lever turned to raise the bars and tray until the tray is above the spring-fingers 60, attached to the side of the chamber 0, which fingers then spring out and hold ihe tray, so that the bars 8 can be lowered to receive another tray. The movement of lever q to raise the tray closes the lower and opens the upper door 0, so that the upper tray in thechamber maybe drawn out upon a track provided for receiving the trays, and for the purpose of facilitating the removal of the tray there is fitted in the side of chamber 0 a sliderod, b, which is connected by a joint-arm, c, with the shaft 1) and provided with a pawl, d, so that by movement of shaft q the rod b is raised, and the pawl d, catching beneath the tray next below the top one, raises the back end of the same to form an inclined plane for the upper tray to run out on.

The apparatus constructed as described gives rapid and economical results in the dryin g of fruits and vegetables. The heat and air currents can readily be regulated according to the condition and character of the fruit and vegetables, and repairs to the furnace can be made with great facility.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In drying apparatus, the flue h, extending along the sides of the heating-chamber, and provided with the flanges h h thatdirect the air over the center of thefurnace, substantially as shown and described.

2. In drying apparatus, the air-heatin g ch ainber B, provided with the side openings, 70, and registers 70, and fitted with the flue it, having flanges h h and with the non-conductin g plate 122, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, with the drying-chamber O and the mechanism for elevating the trays, of the rod 1), provided with the pawl d, and connected with the elevating devices, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

JESSE H. BURKS.

Witnesses:

W. W. HAYES, E. B. MoRRILL. 

